Outdoor news
Pond open
Pine Grove Pond, a family fishing pond and access area, is now open to the general public for the season. The pond and access, located near Rose Crossing on the outskirts of Kalispell, hosts many thousands of angler days over the spring and summer and is a favorite spot for Hooked on Fishing classes. Anglers 14 years of age and younger may keep one trout daily. For anglers 15 and older, it is catch-and-release for trout. All Montana fishing license requirements apply to anglers fishing Pine Grove Pond.
Avoid eating big lake trout
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes recently released revised consumption guidelines and recommend consumption lake trout longer than 30-inches should be avoided. Women of child-bearing age and children should avoid eating lake trout longer than 26 inches. A serving is approximately 8 ounces for an adult and 4 ounces for a child. CSKT and FWP have released a brochure, “Flathead Lake Lake Trout Consumption Guidelines” which is available at CSKT and FWP offices, or online at http://fwp.mt.gov/regions/r1/ or http://www.cskt.org/. The brochure lists the guidelines in detail and contains advice on how to clean and cook fish to minimize contaminants.
Climate change event
“Stories of the Mountain, Songs from the Soul,” is an event that brings together artists and researchers concerned about climate change April 26 at the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish at 7:30 p.m. The event features noted U.S. Geological Survey scientists Dan Fagre and Lisa McKeon, painter Diane Burko of Philadelphia, Pa., artist Joy Von Wolffersdorff, the Crown of the Continent Choir and musicians Left Side Brains. The event will feature art, music and repeat photography of locations in Glacier National Park that were done by McKeon. Cost of admission is $5 at the door.
Outdoor women
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will offer horsepacking and mountain bike riding classes in the Flathead as part of their Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program. The horsepacking workshop for beginners will take place at an indoor arena near Columbia Falls on Sunday, May 4, co-hosted by the Back Country Horsemen of the Flathead. The $35 fee includes lunch and the use of all equipment and packing stock. The mountain biking workshop for beginner and intermediate riders will be based at the Whitefish Bike Retreat near Whitefish on Saturday and Sunday, June 28-29. To register or for more information, call 406-444-9940 or e-mail llodman@mt.gov.
Wild Mile
The 39th annual Bigfork Whitewater Festival will take place on the “Wild Mile” of the Swan River, above downtown Bigfork, on Saturday and Sunday, May 24-25. The festival will include a whitewater slalom, down river and a boater-cross race on a challenging whitewater section rated Class IV to Class V. Raft competition and a triathlon are also planned. The film “Big Drop” will be shown at The Roost in downtown Bigfork on Saturday, May 3, at 8 p.m. as a fundraiser for the whitewater festival. For more information, visit online at www.bigforkwhitewaterfestival.com.
RAC recruiting
The Flathead National Forest is seeking people interested in serving on the Flathead County Resource Advisory Committee. RAC’s 15 volunteer members are appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture for a four-year term. They recommend projects for funding that will benefit National Forest System lands within the county. Applications are available at the Flathead Forest Supervisor’s Office, 650 Wolfpack Way, in Kalispell. For more information, e-mail ewmuehlhof@fs.fed.us or call 406-758-5252.